IREG-2012 Conference

The Academic Rankings and Advancement of Higher Education – Lessons from Asia and Other Regions

Organized by:
IREG Observatory on Academic Ranking and Excellence
Higher Education Evaluation & Accreditation Council of Taiwan in collaboration with/support of: Ministry of Education, Taiwan
National Academy for Educational Research, Taiwan

Taipei, 18-20 April, 2012

Conference venue: Howard International House, Taipei

Wednesday, 18 April 2012

Whole day Arrival of participants

14:30 – 18:00 Meeting of Executive Committee of IREG Observatory (closed session)
Venue: Room 901, Taipei Branch, National Academy for Educational Research
Address: 9 Floor, No.179, Sec. 1, Heping East Road, Taipei City 106, Taiwan

18:30 – 20:30 Welcome Reception
Venue: B1 Dining Room, Howard International House Address: B1, No. 30, Sec. 3, Xin-Sheng South Road, Taipei, Taiwan

Pre-conference workshop:
Using Data in Research Excellence and Institutional Strategic Plan
Venue: Conference Hall, Taipei Branch, National Academy for Educational Research
(Address: 10 Floor, No.179, Sec. 1, Heping East Road, Taipei City 106, Taiwan)

9:30 – 9:40 Welcome and Introduction

Chair: George Jiang, President of Higher Education Evaluation & Accreditaion Council of Taiwan. (HEEACT)

9:40 – 10:30 First Morning Session
Compare the Research Database and good Use to Enhance Institutional Strenght in Research.

• Ming-Yueh Tsay, Professor, Graduate Institute of Library, National Chengchi University, Taiwan

10:30 – 11:00 Coffee break

11:00 – 12:00 Second Morning Session
Supporting the Research Lifecycle
How Data and Tools Can Improve Discovery, Collaboration and Evaluation.

• Janet Chiew, SciVal Consultant, APAC, ElsevierVirginia Chiu, Product Sales Manager, Taiwan, Elsevier

12:00 – 13:20 Lunch

13:20 – 14:20 Afternoon session
Methods and Examples of Applying Data to Different Levels’ Research Excellence

• Nobuko Miyairi, Principal Consultant, Thomson Reuters
• Chang Han-wen, Information Analyst

14:20-15:20 Group Discussion
Research Database Case Study and Practice

The participants will be divided into three groups presenting different views: national level, regional level, and institutional level.

15:20-15:50 Group Reporting
Shanring Your Case Study and Practice Outcomes

Group reporting to be followed by questions and comments.

15:50-16:20 Concluding Session
What Have We Learned: Challenges and Future Directions

• Jamil Salmi, Global Tertiary Education Expert, former World Bank Tertiary Education Coordinator

Thursday, 19 April 2012

Venue: International Conference Hall, Howard International House,
Address: 1 Floor, No. 30, Sec. 3, Xin-Sheng South Road, Taipei, Taiwan

8:00 – 9:00 Registration

9:00 – 9:30 Opening Session

Chair: Jan Sadlak, President of IREG Observatory

Welcome from:

• Wei-Ling , Minister Chiang, Ministry of Education
• Jei-Cheng Cheng, Chairman of Board, Higher Education Evaluation & Accreditation Council of Taiwan (HEEACT)
• Ching-Shan Wu, President of National Academy for Educational Research

9:30 – 11:00First Session
Rise of Higher Education in Asia: Competition and Cooperation

Chair: George Jiang, President of Higher Education Evaluation & Accreditation Council of Taiwan (HEEACT)

Keynote address:

• Jamil Salmi, Global Tertiary Education Expert, former World Bank Tertiary Education Coordinator

Comments from:

• Laura Rumbley, Boston College Center for International Higher Education, Boston, USA

11:00 – 11:30 Coffee break

11:30 – 12:30 Second Session
New Initiatives and Developments in Academic Rankings

Chair: Liu Nian Cai, Vice-President of IREG-Observatory; Dean of the Graduate School of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China

• Judit Fodor, Eötvös Lorand University, Budapest, Hungary - Higher Education Ranking in Hungary – The UnivPress Ranking
• Daniel Vertesy, Unit of Econometrics and Applied Statistics, Institute for the Protection and Security of the Citizen (IPSC), the European Commission-Joint Research Centre, Ispra, Italy - University Systems: Beyond League Tables
• Sonja Berghoff and Gero Federkeil, CHE-Center for Higher Education, Germany - Bringing the Students‘ Perspective into Rankings: The Use of Student Survey Data in National and International Rankings
• Ben Sowter, Head of Division, QS Intelligence Unit, London, United Kingdom - Drilling down – Subjects, Regions and Cities: An Overview of Methodologies and Highlights of Recent Rankings Compiled by the QS Intelligence Unit

12:30 – 13:30 Lunch

13:30 – 15:00 Third Session
Experience in Academic Rankings Development in Asia

Chair: Thomas D. Parker, Senior Associate, Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP), Washington D.C., USA

• Sheng-Ju Chan, Graduate Institute of Education, National Chung Cheng University, Taiwan - Enhancing Global Competitiveness: University Ranking Movement in Asia
• Zia Batool, Director General-Quality Assurance and Statistics, Higher Education Commission Pakistan, Islamabad, Pakistan - The Academic Ranking and Advancement of Higher Education: A Pakistani Experience
• Akiyoshi Yonezawa, Graduate School of International Development, Nagoya University, Japan - Rankings and Information on Japanese Universities
• Juan Wen Cai and Ying Cheng, Center for World-Class Universities, Graduate School of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China - Ranking of Top Universities in Greater China
• Weijun Wang, Professor, Research Center for China Science Evaluation, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China - 2011 Multi-indicator Analysis of Competitiveness of World-class Universities and Research Institutions

15:00 – 16:15 Fourth Session
Methodological Challenges for Academic Rankings

Chair: John Molony, Vice-President for Strategic Planning & Marketing, QS Quacquarelli Symonds, London, United Kingdom

• Proulx Roland, University of Montreal, Canada -
• Using World University Ranking Systems to Inform and Guide Strategic Policy and Decision Making How to Benchmark Rather Than Rank Performance with Application to Canadian Research Universities
• Daniel Sotelsek and Johanna Arias, University of Alcala, Spain - Quality of Management Evaluation Through University Rankings
• Christian Hemmestad Bjerke, University of Bergen, Norway, and Daniel J. Guhr, Managing Director, The Illuminate Consulting Group, San Carlos, CA, USA - A View on Existing Rankings and the Introduction of U-Multirank in the Light of Students as Key Rankings Stakeholders
• Ying Cheng and Yan Wu, Center for World-Class Universities, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China - Indicators for Customized Ranking of World-class Universities

16:00 – 16:30 Coffee break

16:30 – 17:30 Fifth Session
Institutional Responses towards Academic Rankings

Chair: Ghislaine Filliatreau, Director of OST – Observatoire des Sciences et des Techniques, Paris, France

Institutional case studies from:

• Hwung-Hweng Hwung, President, of National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan - National Cheng Kung University: How NCKU Uses Ranking as a Benchmarking Tool to Promote Its Internal Quality and International Visibility
• Galim Mutanov, Rector and Mukash Burkitbayev, First-Vice-rector, al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhstan al-Farabi Kazakh National University - Transformation Towards New Positioning in nternational Rankings
• Lucka Lorber, Vice-rector for Quality Development and Marko Marhl, Expert for Quality Development, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia - University of Maribor and the European Initiatives of Rankings
• Riri Fitri Sari, Head of Information System Development & Services/Chairperson of UI GreenMetric Ranking of World Universities, Depok, Indonesia - University of Indonesia: Methodology and Evaluation of Green and Sustainable Campus Indicators for World University Ranking

17:30 – 18:30 Six Session
The Impact of Academic Rankings: Institutional and Governmental Perspectives

Chair: Ru-Jr Wang, Vice-President of Academic Affairs, National Academy for Educational Research, Taiwan

• Sergiy Kurbatov and Andriy Kashyn -University Ranking as Innovative Educational Technology: Case of Ukraine
• Nello Angerilli, PVC Student Services and International, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand, and Daniel J. Guhr, Managing Director, The Illuminate Consulting Group, San Carlos, CA, USA - Institutional Perspectives on the Strategic Impact of Rankings – Implications from a Case Study of the University of Canterbury (New Zealand)
• Aida Sagintayeva and Kairat Kurakbayev, Centre for Educational Policy, Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan - The Impact of Academic Rankings on Governmental Policy in Kazakhstan: Challenges and Prospects
• 19:30 – 21:30 Conference Gala Diner and Taiwanese cultural performances

Location: The Howard Plaza Hotel, Taipei

Friday, 20 April 2012

9:00 – 10:30 Seventh Session
Quality and Rankings in Higher Education: Mutual Reinforcement

Keynote speech and Panel Discussion

Chair: Waldemar Siwiński, Vice-President of IREG-Observatory; President of Perspektywy Education Foundation, Poland

Keynote speech: Global University Rankings
More Diverse and More Transparent but Old Flaws are Alive

• Andrejs Rauhvargers, Professor, Senior Advisor, EUA – European University Association, Brussels

Panel:

• Luiz Claudio Costa, President of the National Institute of Studies and Educational Research Ansio Teixeira, Brazil
• Sadiq Sait Mohammed, Director of Information Technology, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, Saudi Arabia
• Jagannath Patil, Asia-Pacific Quality Network (APQN); National Assessment and Accreditation Council, Bangalore, India
• Angela Yung-chi Hou, Dean of Office of Research & Development, Higher Education Evaluation and Accreditation Council of Taiwan (HEEACT), Taipei, Taiwan; Fu Jen Catholic University

10:30 – 11:00 Coffee break

11:00 – 13:00 Eight Session
Improving Rankings – Responsibility and Challenges

Chair: Klaus Hüfner, IREG Audit Coordinator; Professor Emeritus, Free University of Berlin, Germany

• Richard Holmes, Associate Professor, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia - Are Ranking Changes Real Changes?
• Chang Han-wen, Information Analyst , Thomson Reuters - An Investment in Quality: Understanding Your Institution’s Research Capabilities
• Euiho Suh, Chair, University Evaluation & Management Committee and Professor of Industrial and Management Engineering, POSTECH, Republic of Korea - Myths of Peer Review and Facts
• Gero Federkeil, Vice-President of IREG-Observatory; CHE-Center for Higher Education, Germany - IREG Ranking Audit Initiative – Setting the Standards for Greater Reliability

13:00 – 14:00 Final Session
Presentations, Discussion and Closing of the Conference

Chair: Jan Sadlak, President of IREG Observatory

Presentations from Elsevier and Thomson Reuters 

Afternoon:
Optional tourist program: Sightseeing and Cultural Events (Hot Spring Tour/ Night Market Tour/ Northern Coast Tour)

14:15 – 16:15 General Assembly of IREG Observatory (closed session)
Venue: International Conference Hall, Howard International House, Address: No. 30, Sec. 3, Xin-Sheng South Road, Taipei, Taiwan

16:15 – 16:30 Coffee break

16:30 – 18:30 Meeting of the Executive Committee of IREG Observatory
(closed session followed by dinner at 19:00)

Saturday, 21 April 2012

Whole day: Optional tourist program and departure of participants